‘Seinfeld' director's book spoofs ‘Hardy Boys'

Tom Cherones, Tuscaloosa native and former TV director and producer ("Seinfeld," "NewsRadio," "The Ellen Show"), has written a novel called "The Hardly Boys: The Mystery of the Golden Goblet."

Submitted photo | The Tuscaloosa News

By Mark Hughes CobbStaff Writer

Published: Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, April 10, 2013 at 11:28 p.m.

After a longish detour to Hollywood, where he directed and produced the first five years of “Seinfeld,” along with “NewsRadio” and other TV sitcom hits, Tom Cherones has come back to his hometown of Tuscaloosa, and to a childhood love, for his second — or third? fourth? — career.

Facts

Tom Cherones' planned book readings

1-3 p.m. today in the rotunda of Reese Phifer Hall on the University of Alabama campus.1-3 p.m. April 24 at the Tuscaloosa Public Library, 1801 Jack Warner Parkway. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the events.

This afternoon at Reese Phifer Hall on the University of Alabama campus, where he's also headquartered teaching an intensive class in short filmmaking, Cherones will read from his new novel “The Hardly Boys: The Mystery of the Golden Goblet.”

The first of an intended series, the book is a loving spoof of the old “Hardy Boys” mysteries he devoured while growing up on the streets of downtown Tuscaloosa in the 1940s and '50s, working in his dad's record store, Radio Electric Co., sometimes stopping in at his Greek-immigrant grandfather's steakhouse, Tuscaloosa Cafe.

“As a kid, I used to save up my money, sell those metal clothes hangers, sell 'em back to the cleaners for half a cent apiece. I'd return Coke bottles, 2 cents apiece at the grocery store,” he said, “until I could assemble a dollar.”

That was the price of a new Hardy Boys mystery — $1 — in hardback with dust jackets, at Lustig’s bookstore downtown, behind the old S&H Kress building. Starting at the age of 7, he also worked in his dad's store after school and on weekends, for $3 a week.

Cherones mostly retired in the early 21st century, after producing or directing (or both) 57 episodes of “NewsRadio,” 83 of “Seinfeld,” and 23 of “Ellen,” along with numerous others, including “Desperate Housewives,” “Caroline in the City,” “My Sister Sam,” “Growing Pains,” “Boston Commons” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” About 15 years ago, as his TV career was slowing down, Cherones began reminiscing about the Hardy Boys and their crisp, clean-cut cliffhangers.

“It was an old-man dream. I had the idea, I don't know, about 15 years ago — I thought, ‘I could write a movie script about this; it might be funny,' ” he said. He began haunting used bookstores, re-buying and re-reading the old “Hardy Boys” mysteries. He has collected roughly 40 to 50 of them now.

“I was an Eagle Scout,” he said. “I liked their sense of right and wrong; liked their family unit.”

The idea grew into a novel, partly because Cherones chafed at limitations that would have been placed on him by a script.

“I just started with the idea of 70-year-old men with the minds of 17-year-old boys from the '50s,” said Cherones, who is 73. A mad scientist, the kind that apparently lurked around every lab corner in the '50s bubbling up green-vial concoctions, puts Tom and Billy Hardly into “cryogeriatrically” frozen sleep. Awakened after 50 years with the bodies of men in their 70s, they try to puzzle out the 21st century and hunt for a mysterious golden goblet, aided by chubby pal Whit Moore and their 90-something, still-in-demand private detective dad, DeVern Hardly. Cherones drew from the names of real friends such as Whit Gibbons, longtime Tuscaloosa News environmental columnist; his mother's maiden name was Moore.

Cherones has been shopping the concept to Hollywood, with an eye toward possibly creating a TV series, either on cable or broadcast.

<p>After a longish detour to Hollywood, where he directed and produced the first five years of “Seinfeld,” along with “NewsRadio” and other TV sitcom hits, Tom Cherones has come back to his hometown of Tuscaloosa, and to a childhood love, for his second — or third? fourth? — career.</p><p>This afternoon at Reese Phifer Hall on the University of Alabama campus, where he's also headquartered teaching an intensive class in short filmmaking, Cherones will read from his new novel “The Hardly Boys: The Mystery of the Golden Goblet.”</p><p>The first of an intended series, the book is a loving spoof of the old “Hardy Boys” mysteries he devoured while growing up on the streets of downtown Tuscaloosa in the 1940s and '50s, working in his dad's record store, Radio Electric Co., sometimes stopping in at his Greek-immigrant grandfather's steakhouse, Tuscaloosa Cafe.</p><p>“As a kid, I used to save up my money, sell those metal clothes hangers, sell 'em back to the cleaners for half a cent apiece. I'd return Coke bottles, 2 cents apiece at the grocery store,” he said, “until I could assemble a dollar.”</p><p>That was the price of a new Hardy Boys mystery — $1 — in hardback with dust jackets, at Lustig's bookstore downtown, behind the old S&H Kress building. Starting at the age of 7, he also worked in his dad's store after school and on weekends, for $3 a week.</p><p>“I graduated from those to Sherlock Holmes, Nero Wolfe, Perry Mason; I've read mysteries all my life,” he said.</p><p>Cherones mostly retired in the early 21st century, after producing or directing (or both) 57 episodes of “NewsRadio,” 83 of “Seinfeld,” and 23 of “Ellen,” along with numerous others, including “Desperate Housewives,” “Caroline in the City,” “My Sister Sam,” “Growing Pains,” “Boston Commons” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” About 15 years ago, as his TV career was slowing down, Cherones began reminiscing about the Hardy Boys and their crisp, clean-cut cliffhangers.</p><p>“It was an old-man dream. I had the idea, I don't know, about 15 years ago — I thought, 'I could write a movie script about this; it might be funny,' ” he said. He began haunting used bookstores, re-buying and re-reading the old “Hardy Boys” mysteries. He has collected roughly 40 to 50 of them now.</p><p>“I was an Eagle Scout,” he said. “I liked their sense of right and wrong; liked their family unit.” </p><p>The idea grew into a novel, partly because Cherones chafed at limitations that would have been placed on him by a script.</p><p>“I just started with the idea of 70-year-old men with the minds of 17-year-old boys from the '50s,” said Cherones, who is 73. A mad scientist, the kind that apparently lurked around every lab corner in the '50s bubbling up green-vial concoctions, puts Tom and Billy Hardly into “cryogeriatrically” frozen sleep. Awakened after 50 years with the bodies of men in their 70s, they try to puzzle out the 21st century and hunt for a mysterious golden goblet, aided by chubby pal Whit Moore and their 90-something, still-in-demand private detective dad, DeVern Hardly. Cherones drew from the names of real friends such as Whit Gibbons, longtime Tuscaloosa News environmental columnist; his mother's maiden name was Moore.</p><p>Cherones has been shopping the concept to Hollywood, with an eye toward possibly creating a TV series, either on cable or broadcast.</p>